Drive unit for continuous means of conveyance in a continuous transfer system

ABSTRACT

A drive unit ( 10 ) for a continuous conveyance means of a transfer system has a housing part ( 16 ) comprising two side walls ( 17, 18 ), in each of which a recess ( 25 ) is formed. A bearing plate ( 31 ) is capable of being inserted into each of the recesses ( 25 ) from the top end face of the housing part ( 16 ). The drive shaft ( 37 ) of a drive wheel ( 38 ) for the conveyance mechanism is supported in the bearing plates ( 31 ). The design of the drive unit ( 10 ) according to the invention allows for universal use of the drive unit ( 10 ) combined with easy assembly of its individual parts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention concerns a drive unit for a continuous conveyance means ofa transfer system. A drive unit was made known in DE 195 32 391 C2, thehousing of which is composed of a top housing part and a bottom housingpart. Shoulders interconnected via a cover plate are formed on the tophousing part that accommodate the bearing of a drive wheel. Theshoulders are capable of being guided into matching cut-outs in thebottom housing part, and the top housing part is screwed together withthe bottom housing part. The known drive unit is designed so that it canbe located at the end of a conveyor line or integrated in a conveyorline. Although it is possible with the known drive unit to insert thedrive wheel from the top into the line and/or the bottom housing part ofthe drive unit, the top housing part and the drive wheel must always beremoved from the bottom housing part in order to perform maintenancework.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

The drive unit according to the invention for a continuous conveyancemeans of a transfer system has the advantage that it allows forparticularly easy installation and removal of the drive wheel and,simultaneously, the drive wheel need not be removed from the housing toperform maintenance work. Moreover, due to its construction, it issuited for use as a simple drive and turning station, as well as a drivestation having a flange-mounted chain case housing. According to theinvention, these objects are attained by means of a construction of thehousing part that is open on the top and bottom end faces that can beclosed with appropriate components.

Additional advantageous further developments of the drive unit accordingto the invention for a continuous conveyance means of a transfer systemare indicated in the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is presented in the drawingsand will be explained in greater detail hereinbelow.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a drive unit according to the inventionfor a continuous conveyance means of a transfer system, and

FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views as well of the individual parts ofthe drive unit in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The drive unit 10—presented in the figures—for a continuous conveyancemeans, in particular a conveyor chain, is a component of a conveyor lineof a transfer system. The drive unit 10—with a front end face 11 andconnecting elements 12, 13 and with a stop plate (15) situatedin-between (FIG. 3), if applicable—is capable of being interconnectedwith a profiled bar.

The drive unit 10 has a block-shaped, single-component housing part 16with side walls 17, 18 domed on the outside of the housing part 16, afront housing wall 19 and a back housing wall 20. An opening is formedin the front housing wall 19 for guiding the conveyance means throughinto the return plane of the profiled bar. A recess 22 is formed on thetop side 26 of the housing part 16 on the side facing the front housingwall 19, into which said recess a chain guide body 23 composed ofplastic is located that is capable of being interconnected with thehousing part 16 by means of a screw 24.

A recess 25 is formed in each of the two side walls 17, 18 of thehousing part 16, whereby the two said recesses are aligned with eachother. The recesses 25—which extend away from the top side 26 of thehousing part 16 and are closer to the back housing wall 20 than to thefront housing wall 19—each comprise a straight section 28 on the sideclosest to the top side 26, which said straight section is abutted by asemicircular section 29. Furthermore, a groove 30 is formed in thecenter of each recess 25. A bearing plate 31 is capable of beinginserted in this groove 30 with positive engagement. The bearing plate31 has a shouldered through hole 32, so that a bearing body 34 and alocking ring are capable of being pressed or inserted into the throughhole 32 from the inside 33 of the housing part 16 in such a fashion thatthe collar 35 of the through hole 32 forms a stop for the bearing body34.

The bearing bodies 34 serve to accommodate axle journals 36 of a driveshaft 37 on which a drive wheel 38 can be mounted in torsion-resistantfashion. The drive shaft 37 has a hexagon 39 that interacts via positiveengagement with a journal of a not-shown drive motor. A recess 44 isformed in the back housing wall 20 to facilitate a torsion-proofinsertion of screws/nuts between the drive wheel 38 and the back housingwall 20.

The top side 26 of the housing part 16 is capable of being closed bymeans of a cover plate 40 composed preferably of plastic. The coverplate 40 holds the bearing plates 31 tightly in their recesses 25. If itis necessary to combine a “chain tensioner” with the drive unit 10, itshousing can be easily mounted on the bottom side 41 of the housing part16. The fact that the inside 33 of the housing part 16 is open in thedirection toward the bottom side 41 makes it possible for the conveyancemeans to be guided out of the housing part 16 in the direction of thechain case. If an additional tensioning device is not required, however,the bottom side 41 of the housing part 16 is closed with a bottom coverplate 42 shown in FIG. 3. This cover plate 42 has a guide body43—composed of plastic—for the conveyance means, which said guide bodyguides and turns the conveyance means in the direction of the opening 21in the front housing wall 19.

Due to the open construction of the housing part 16 on the top side 26and the bottom side 41, the drive unit 10 described hereinabove makes itpossible, on the one hand, to easily install the bearing plates 31 withbearing bodies 34 and drive shaft 37, including drive wheel 38—whichrepresents a subassembly capable of being pre-assembled—and, on theother hand, it allows for universal use of the drive unit 10 with orwithout a chain case. The inside 33 of the housing part 16 can beaccessed by removing the top cover plate 40 without having to remove anyfurther drive parts from the housing part 16 and/or the drive unit 10.

1. A drive unit (10) for a a transfer system, comprising: a continuous conveyance means; a housing part (16) for accommodating a drive wheel (38), whereby the housing part (16) comprises two side walls (17, 18), a front wall (19) with an opening (21) for the continuous conveyance means, and a back wall (20), wherein said walls are interconnected with each other in the manner of a single component, whereby a top end face (26) and a bottom end face (41) of the housing part (16) are open, and wherein each side wall (17, 18) comprises a recess (25) into which a bearing plate (31) that accommodates a drive shaft (36) of the drive wheel (38) is capable of being inserted from a direction of the open top end faces (26, 41) of the housing part (16), wherein the recesses (25) are capable of being closed by means of a cover plate (40), and wherein the cover plate (40) is formed to be separate from the bearing plate (31).
 2. The drive unit according to claim 1, wherein the recesses (25) extend away from the top end face (26) of the side wall (17, 18).
 3. The drive unit according to claim 1, wherein the recesses (25) and/or the drive wheel (38) are situated offset toward the back wall (20).
 4. The drive unit according to claim 1, wherein each of the recesses (25) comprises a groove (30) for accommodating the bearing plates (31) with positive engagement.
 5. The drive unit according to claim 1, wherein the back wall (20) comprises a recess (44) designed in the shape of a groove.
 6. The drive unit according to claim 1, wherein a base plate (42) having a guide element (43) for the conveyance means, or a chain vase, is capable of being fastened to the bottom, open end face (41) of the housing part (16).
 7. The drive unit according to claim 1, wherein a subassembly—capable of being preassembled—composed, at the least, of the two bearing plates (31), the drive wheel (38) and its bearing (34) with drive shaft (37) is capable of being inserted in the recesses (25). 